


Unbalanced & Best friends

by raindropyj



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Best Friends, Fluff, It's a pretty simple fic, M/M, Who may or may not have feelings for each other it's up to you, Yakov is pretty minor, mentions of other characters too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-14 21:50:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9204779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raindropyj/pseuds/raindropyj
Summary: By the time Viktor noticed, so did everyone else. Yuri was constantly the source of puberty jokes and comments whenever his voice cracked. Honestly it was getting old and he made sure to have headphones in his ears every second he was at the rink. Even Otabek stopped pulling the puberty card, obviously knowing how riled up it got him, not that Yuri didn’t throw something at his computer each time it was brought up.Not at all.





	

It was the time between the Grand Prix in Barcelona and World’s when Yuri’s body decided it was a good time to grow a good three and a half inches. The change wasn’t immediate and Yuri himself didn’t notice until he was no longer craning his neck in painful ways to look at the giant Viktor Nikiforov, he was happy about that last tiny fact at least. What he wasn’t so thrilled about was the amount of clothes he began to outgrow, a large pile of leopard print clothing items was now on the floor of his room, all t shirts that became too tight in the shoulders and pants now too short on his ankles. He was just happy that his skates still managed to fit, for how long he didn’t know.

The first one who noticed the change was Otabek, of course, leave it to his first and closest friend to see the change. It was during one of their evening skype sessions when the older skater brought up the topic, too casually in Yuri’s opinion.

“Your voice has gotten deeper.” The tone of Otabek’s voice was so nonchalant but Yuri knew it was only because of the plate of food that was in the other’s lap, his focus obviously on eating whatever was in front of him rather than the topic at hand, Yuri was still obviously irritated though.

“Shut up!” He was hugging a pillow while sitting on his bed, laptop near his feet, screen showcasing Otabek’s chuckling face and stuffed cheeks.

“What? It’s just puberty.”

Yuri threw his pillow at his computer, startling his cat that was curled up in a ball next to him. “Isn’t it a little too late for puberty?! I grew over three inches in the last two months and my clothes don’t fit anymore!”

Otabek’s low laugh sounded through his speakers only fueling his foul mood more, he moved the pillow out of the way regardless. “You’re not helping, Beka!”

“I think it’s kind of cute actually.” The older said with a shrug and Yuri’s face was slowly becoming pink as the words reached his ears. He was not cute!

“Don’t be delusional! Goodnight!” A smug ‘goodnight’ was heard as Yuri shut his laptop with a loud click. He hugged his pillow close to his chest, cheeks puffed out with a sulky expression and mind a mess, at loss of what to do about his current dilemma.

Katsudon was the next to see the difference, noticing the normal height gap between them closing. Yuri was now merely a half an inch away from matching the pig’s height and able to look him straight in the eye.

“Ah, Yurio! You’re getting tall.”

Yuri just scoffed in reply and headed out onto the ice leaving Yuuri alone as he laced up his skates the rest of the way with a hidden smile.

By the time Viktor noticed, so did everyone else. Yuri was constantly the source of puberty jokes and comments whenever his voice cracked. Honestly it was getting old and he made sure to have headphones in his ears every second he was at the rink. Even Otabek stopped pulling the puberty card, obviously knowing how riled up it got him, not that Yuri didn’t throw something at his computer each time it was brought up. Not at all.

Besides the obvious roughness of his cracking voice, Yuri was growing quite gracefully. Though he was thin and his limbs were getting longer, his body wasn’t hitting an awkward stage. He liked to think it was because of his constant exercise on and off the ice as well as the piroshkis his grandfather would send him. His hair was also hitting his shoulders now due to his constant laziness to ever get it cut and at this point he just kept it up in a ponytail almost 24/7 anyway.

Due to practice schedules and the three hour time difference between Almaty and St. Petersburg, Yuri couldn’t contact Otabek as much as he was used to. Most days there was only a few texts sent, on rare occasions; none. To say that this didn’t have an effect on the young skater would be a lie. Otabek was a silent support to him, someone who always put him in a good mood (at least when the word puberty wasn’t mentioned). He was also a rival, someone that Yuri found to be a dangerous force in the figure skating world, and as much as he supported Otabek in his skating, Yuri was still selfish for the top tier of the podium.

He thought about the gold medal that was hanging up in his room, the one that he earned from winning by 0.12 points. Just 0.12 points above that katsudon, Katsuki Yuuri. As relieved as he felt when the score first sounded throughout the rink in Barcelona that day, and the pride that he felt when he had that medal hanging around his neck, he was still incredibly greedy for first place. This time however, the gap couldn’t be so small, no longer winning by a hair, the gap needed to be bigger, much bigger.

Especially with Viktor back on the ice.

Angry, Yuri kicked his toepick into the ice, his thoughts distracting him from practice. Taking the hair tie he kept on his wrist these days he pulled his hair back, hoping to at least get something out of the way so there was less distractions.

He let his mind shut off and his body take over as his blades glided effortlessly over the ice. It wasn’t hard to do, he knew katsudon was on the ice too, Yuri could see him through his peripheral but he didn’t pay him any mind. He learned how to ignore his rink mates during practice long ago, the pig was no different now that he was in Russia under Viktor’s wing, as much as Yuri wished to disregard that fact.

Since jumps were his strength he spent the day working on his step sequence for the next season and due to Yakov and Lilia’s endless criticism, by the end of practice his body was begging him not to move, legs and feet aching beyond repair.

All he wanted to do when he got home was complain about his hard day of practice to his best friend but then remembered the time difference, checking his phone he realized it was eleven at night in Almaty and sighed, collapsing against his bed. He felt his body melting into the mattress immediately - like the blankets were hungry to consume him and he let them, smothering his face into the softness about to drift into sleep when his phone vibrated in his sweatpants pocket.

Otabek’s name lit up his screen, a text. Instead of reading the message Yuri instantly pressed the call button next to his friends name, wanting to hear his voice.

“Did you even read my message at all?” Otabek asked as soon as he answered the call, voice heavy with something that told Yuri that he had a tiring day himself.

“No.” He replied honestly. “I just missed your voice.”

Just as the younger was realizing that he said the last part out loud, Otabek’s quiet “Oh” went through the phone speaker making Yuri’s cheeks redden significantly.

“I mean, we haven’t talked to each other in a while because of practice and stuff, so..!” The words rushed out of his mouth in a panic, trying to find a justifiable reason but really Yuri knew he was just making a bigger fool out of himself so he just shut his mouth and smothered his face back in his pillows, fearing the elder’s reply.

“I miss you too.”

There was a long pause and for those few moments all Yuri could hear was Otabek’s quiet breathing and his own heartbeat echoing through his ears. That was definitely not that reply he expected.

Probably sensing that Yuri was too flustered to speak, it was Otabek who eventually broke the awkward silence. “Anyways, if you checked that message you would have seen that I’m coming to St. Petersburg next week.”

“What?!” Yuri sat up in his bed quickly, giving himself whiplash. “You’re not kidding right?”

“I was invited for the week to practice with you guys.”

“By who?”

Silence.

“Was it that katsudon?”

“Are you not happy that I’m coming?” Otabek asked, mock hurt in his voice making Yuri flinch.

“Of course I’m happy! I’m just..surprised is all? I’m used to seeing you at competitions. Having you in St. Petersburg will be different.” He replied, suddenly excited about seeing Otabek in a more casual setting, no competitions, just practice and in his home country. “Where are you staying?”

“That’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about. Do you mind if I stay with you?”

“Oh. Oh yeah, that’s fine!” The answer slipped out quickly, he didn’t even give himself a chance to think about it but he didn’t need to knowing that Otabek would be more comfortable staying with him anyway since Yuri was the only person he really knew well in St. Petersburg. Then he remembered, Yakov. Since he moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg when he was still young Yakov took him in as the ‘responsible’ coach he was, and that was where he still remained, though Yuri was a pretty independent teenager.

He would just have to practice extra hard to get on Yakov’s good side for Otabek to stay for the week.

Long after they said their goodnights and goodbyes, the young skater was left in his bed staring at the ceiling, his cat lay on his belly purring and his mind wandering with thoughts about the upcoming week while petting the animal’s fur. Yuri sighed, it was going to be a long seven days before Otabek arrived.

To make the days go by faster, Yuri put his everything into practice, his jumps and step sequences improving with each day and Yakov watching over him silently for the most part, shouts of criticism heard only when needed. When he wasn’t at the rink he would be at Lilia’s studio stretching his limbs and trying out new choreography. By the end of the day he was exhausted, barely finding enough energy within himself to feed his cat or send a goodnight text to Otabek who may not answer him until the next morning.

He didn’t know what time the other was arriving, morning, noon, night.. He was oblivious and Otabek seemed to want to keep it a secret from him anyway. Because of this Yuri was on edge the entire day of his arrival so he did what he normally did, he practiced. The entire time he was in the rink he was distracted, his hand constantly reaching into his pocket for his phone and checking for missed calls or unread messages but there was nothing. His eyes would also continuously flicker to the entrance of the building, thinking the older would walk in even though he knew it was silly. What was he thinking, seriously..

By the time the sun was setting, his phone was dead due to the temperature of the rink and nervousness had begun to settle in. He wanted to call Otabek, to check to see if he was in the country at least and see if he was okay but with the battery out of juice and his charger plugged into his wall at home, he was out of options.

He couldn’t bear not knowing. He tugged his skates off and shoved them into his backpack along with his phone and put it over his shoulder, leaving the vicinity without another word. Yakov would figure out he was gone sooner or later, he was training Mila on her new program until night anyway, Yuri had more important things to deal with than practice.

The walk back home seemed to calm him down, if only a little bit. The sunset was pretty hues of oranges and reds, the frigid air cooling Yuri’s hot temper and making him think more rationally, like perhaps Otabek’s flight was delayed or he was just overthinking, both of which were two very good possibilities. Sirens sounded through the city and he sighed, watching as his breath made a cloud in the air front of him only for it to disappear within seconds. He hoped Otabek would show up soon.

He plugged his phone in as soon as he entered his room, the black screen lighting up to life immediately and he almost let out a sigh of relief but only felt more frustrated when there were no messages or missed calls. Letting out an angry groan he laid back on his bed and kicked his legs around, his feelings finally getting the better of him and tears pricking at the back of his eyes.

“What is that idiot doing?!” He shouted, finally settling down, hair in his face and his furball cat staring up at him in wonder. “Why can’t he even call?!”

He stared up at the ceiling, his breathing calming down from his temporary mood fit, room dark other than the calm lamp light. Figuring the situation was now safe and her owner needed him, his cat jumped up on the bed and curled into his side trying to comfort him, a smile playing at the edge of his lips at her gesture. He laid like that for several minutes, mind blank and reeling in the warmth of his fuzzy companion until the doorbell rang.

For some reason he didn’t connect the dots, for some reason, even though he thought about him all day, he didn’t think it was Otabek at the door, yet when he opened it and stared at the tired male in front of him with wide eyes all he wanted to do was cry. He was the same height as the Kazakh male now, their eyes meeting without either of them having to tilt one way or another now.

“Beka..” Yuri whispered. Wrapped in several layers, the older looked exhausted and cold, like he had been out all day in the cold but he also looked happy to see Yuri and that look in his eyes was so soft it made him want to crumble. At least until he seen the phone in Otabek’s hand.

“Idiot! Why didn’t you call me, where have you been!” Yuri was upset, he had his hands balled up in fists and was hitting the other in the chest but Otabek was taking it with his head down. “I’ve been waiting all day for you to show up or at least call!”

Before he could lecture anymore, Otabek tugged him by his wrists and pulled him close, hugging him tight and burying his face in Yuri’s hair with a sigh. The first thing that Yuri could register was that Otabek was cold, the temperature from his clothes and his skin was seeping in through his track jacket and he tried to contain his shiver but with no success. Otabek tried to pull away, Yuri assumed from guilt but he just pulled him closer trying to warm him up.

“What were you doing out there? You’re freezing, Beka.” They stayed that way for several minutes until Yuri pulled away far enough to put the other’s face in his warm hands, the temperature difference making Otabek tremble in his palms.

“I got lost and my phone died very inconveniently. Sorry, Yura. I should have come sooner.” Yuri watched with a rosy blush on his face as Otabek talked with his eyes closed and face in his hands, he almost felt embarrassed. Almost. Except that he spent all of his day wondering where this boy was that he felt at peace with him at his fingertips, he knew that he was safe and that he wasn’t going to leave.

“At least you made it here.” He said with a smile, two seconds away from hugging him again until Otabek’s stomach let out an angry growl and Yuri laughed, letting go of his face, making the older open his eyes. “Hungry?” Yuri asked getting a nod in reply.

An hour later Otabek was sitting on Yuri’s bed changed into different, cozier clothes, and had a full stomach thanks to Yuri practically shoving food down throat while complaining that if he couldn’t keep his phone charged he should at least be able to feed himself.

It was weird having Otabek in his room and on his bed in pajamas, it was a whole new world compared to seeing him at skating competitions where they were dressed up with hair done and costumes on, attitudes prepared for winning gold. Instead Otabek had his phone plugged in, the device in his lap while he was looking around Yuri’s room as if it was something incredibly interesting to him, making Yuri suddenly self conscious of his surroundings. If he was honest though, he liked the change. He enjoyed the feeling of the other so close to him like this so casually like it was nothing special, there was no skate talk, no exhausting practice and no cold ice. It was warm and comforting and he wanted to be selfish and keep Otabek near him for as long as he could.

“Tiger posters, skate medals, cat plushies. I don’t know what else I expected in your room.” Otabek said, looking at Yuri with a smile and picking up a tiger stuffed animal from the floor to prove his point.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Yuri asked, finally able to throw a pillow at Otabek and actually hit him and not a computer screen.

“It fits you.” Was the reply he got. “I’m keeping this so you don’t throw it at my face again, since you have that habit. I’m surprised your laptop isn’t broken yet.” Yuri scoffed.

After they made a cozy bed of thousands of blankets on the floor next to Yuri’s bed for Otabek they lay in their respective areas in the dark, only the sound of the cars passing outside and their quiet breathing could be heard in the room. It wasn’t an awkward silence, instead it was one that made Yuri think. He didn’t ask what happened earlier that day or how Otabek got so lost, he was just glad he was safe and sound in his room at that moment, he also thought that it would be a good idea to take the day off of practice tomorrow, just to let the other settle down a bit before they jump back on the ice. Plus he wanted more alone time with him to be quite frank.

He rolled over in his bed and faced his friend who looked up at him, everything was barely noticeable in the darkness but he forced himself to focus on those eyes that he knew were a warm brown. “You know Beka, I was really worried.” He said, knowing he might regret these words he was spilling later, but he let them out anyways, trusting the person in front of him. “I kept expecting you just to show up out of nowhere or to call. So when you didn’t I thought your flight got cancelled or maybe something happened. I was frustrated.” Even when he finished talking his eyes didn’t leave Otabek’s, however he found a nervous habit in picking a loose thread in one of his blankets and he could feel his cheeks burning, he couldn’t be more thankful for the darkness than in that moment.

He felt rough fingers tangle themselves in his and Otabek’s gaze grew more tender making Yuri’s chest ache the longer he caught himself looking. “Sorry Yura. I’ll do better next time.” His fingers were squeezed lightly before being let go completely, the warmth of the other's hand being missed immediately. “I promise, okay?”

Yuri frowned, that’s not how he wanted things to go. He learned further toward the edge of the bed and grabbed Otabek’s hand with one of his own, surprise etched on the older's face. He smiled. “As long as you promise me there will be a next time.”

Otabek entwined their fingers again, brushing his thumb against Yuri’s in such an intimate manner he didn’t know what to think or do except to stare at where their hands met. “Of course.” A gentle tug and ten seconds later Yuri found himself on Otabek’s makeshift bed on the floor, his body kneeling beside the older boy’s and an arm across his chest, hand still in his.

The first thing that crossed Yuri’s mind was that Otabek was close, so, so, close. The smell of spearmint toothpaste reached his nose every time the male exhaled and it took everything in him not to move closer into his body heat now that his blankets were so rudely torn off of his body. He took one glance at the older male and pulled back his hand, grabbed his own pillow from his bed and made the other scooch over to make a place for him.

Yuri felt eyes on him as he tied his hair up messily before he laid down beside Otabek, averting his gaze to anywhere that wasn’t the person next to him. He was debating on turning over with his back facing his friend, at least until one of them fell asleep but he gave in too easily to the stare that was on his face, green eyes meeting brown in the darkness.

“What?” Yuri asked, half irritated, half curious.

“Your hair is longer.” Otabek’s words blunt, his fingers brushing through the fine blonde hair in Yuri’s ponytail making color bloom in his cheeks all over again. “Your voice is also much deeper in person than it is over the computer, you’re taller too. My height.” Yuri punched him weakly in the bicep to get him to shut up, the puberty topic still as annoying as ever but the hand in his hair felt nicer than he expected, practically melting under the touch.

“I feel awkward though.” He confessed, closing his eyes and leaning his cheek on the cotton pillow below him, Otabek’s index finger swirling his hair in soft circles now. “Like my body isn’t my own anymore. I’m afraid people will look at me differently once competitions start back up.” He wanted to be grumpy and whine, throw a fit about the fact that he needed to be better than this so he could win gold and be the Yuri that people knew he was but all he could do was feel weak in front of Otabek. It was like the other was tugging at the strings inside of him to let him spill the words he would never normally say outloud, pushing buttons like he knew Yuri’s weak spots making his insecurities peak and all he wanted to do was bury them again.

His hair lay back on his neck, Otabek now tracing his fingertips along Yuri’s cheekbone making him open his eyes and look up sleepily at the other in question. Otabek stared back before realizing what he had been doing, a low “ah” slipped through his teeth before his hand fell from Yuri’s face with one last warm touch before leaving his skin to bare the cold of the night once again.

 

They fell asleep not too long after that, Otabek’s pulse quick and feeling embarrassed, but overall he was glad that the day had ended the way that it did. From the moment he arrived in St. Petersburg he was lost, not knowing which way to go and he was too shameless to ask for help, already feeling like a stranger in this country that wasn’t his own. You’d think he’d be used to it by now, traveling often, being in different countries several times a year but it never did get old, especially now that he was here to not only skate, but to see Yuri.

The blonde boy who was still so young was growing before his eyes. Really it was about time that his body started catching up with his age but Otabek always knew him to seem so delicate and fairy like, moving as if he had wings while he was on the ice. But he also knew that wasn’t the real Yuri Plisetsky, he knew that from day one. The boy in his ballet class with those soldier like eyes proved that to him at such a tender age and he could see how that strength grew within him all these years later, only becoming so much more powerful. If Otabek was honest with himself, he had become an admirer.

Except now, Yuri was changing all over again in a different way, not just an awkward teenager but rather a young adult, albeit still a grumpy one, he doubted that part of him would ever leave. He was growing into himself, his body becoming more sturdy, more muscle mass and more height, though you could tell that Yuri’s body was made to be more on the feminine side of the male spectrum, something Otabek particularly liked about him. Then there was his hair that was longer, now being pulled back more often than not, his voice becoming deeper, cracking at times and fascinating Otabek more than it should have. He kept his mouth shut though, silently admiring Yuri’s changing body with not so subtle stares and gentle touches that he knew the other liked by the way he was softening under his fingers.

He was too lucky, he knew he was too lucky and his rude awakening came in the form of Yuri’s skating coach at seven in the morning. The sun was peeking through the curtains just enough to filter through the blonde's hair in light streaks, just missing his eyes so he wouldn’t wake up and for a minute he just wanted to appreciate the view beside him, the younger drooling on his pillow and hugging a tiger plush like he was a toddler. Otabek was hit with reality though, Yakov staring at him with an angry expression from Yuri’s open bedroom door with a red face and a near bursting vein. He did what any other awkward person would do in this situation.

“Um, good morning.” He said while sitting up, blankets slipping off of him and he cold seeping through his hoodie. Yakov grunted.

“Both of you at practice in two hours!” The other shouted from the door, surprisingly not stirring the sleeping beauty from his sleep.

Otabek watched silently as Yakov left and then fell back into the blankets, he turned his head and looked back at Yuri, the sunlight finally dipping into his eyes and making the younger’s eyelashes flutter for a moment. He knew it was only a matter of minutes before the other woke up so he drank in the sight before him while he could, all disheveled hair, warm blankets, and streaks of sunshine on pale eyelashes. Maybe he was pretty lucky after all.

Sleepy green eyes opened and looked at him. He was _definitely_ lucky.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is my first YOI fic and it needed to be otayuri. Also I'll always write only good and pure otayuri, whether romantic or not. I'm not the happiest with the writing in the fic since I'm in the midst of finding the best way to write for me, but I have another one already in the works I like better but I thought I'd post this anyway. I still hope you enjoy!!


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